More Heroes as Strangers return to live action

The band have stated that this will be their final extensive tour of the UK and whilst they may not be checking out completely just yet, this will be the last opportunity to see them playing together in a comprehensive touring format.

The band promise a Sheffield set that will be covering tracks from their extensive catalogue spanning over 45 years.

First formed in 1974, The Stranglers “no bullshit” attitude was embraced by the punk movement of the late 70s, with their first three albums (Rattus Norvegicus, No More Heroes, and Black and White) being released within an astonishing 13 months of each other, scoring hit singles such as Peaches, No More Heroes and Walk On By.  

Further success was to follow with Always The Sun, Strange Little Girl and the mercurial Golden Brown, amongst many others, earning the group 24 top 40 singles and 18 top 40 albums.

The band has undergone some changes in recent years with the retirement of founder member and drummer Jet Black (who is still involved with the band behind the scenes) and the sad passing of keyboard player Dave Greenfield — a victim of Covid.

The band now comprises JJ Burnel on bass and vocals, Baz Warne on guitar and vocals, drummer Jim Macaulay and keyboard player Toby Hounsham.

I recently caught up with Jean Jacques Burnel, now the only original member still in the band, to chat about the recent tour of France, their amazing new album, and of course, the tour.

The band had recently returned from a French tour and JJ was very upbeat about it.

“It was much more successful than I expected. Sadly, we had to cancel most of the European dates due to Covid restrictions and we had to keep our road crew safe.

“The shows were fantastic, I didn’t expect so many people to turn up so we definitely won the gamble. And it also gave us the chance to run in our new keyboard player, Toby Hounsham.”

Originally in the 90s band Rialto, Toby has been a professional musician for over 30 years and plays regularly with Ray Dorset of Mungo Jerry fame, as well as Go West and Katrina (of Katrina and the Waves). A proponent of “boogie woogie” piano, Somerset-born Toby joined The Stranglers in mid-2021 and the French tour dates were his first with the band.

“Dave [Greenfield] passing away was a big shock to us all and it’s a big emptiness after the 45 years we’ve played together,” JJ tells me. “But Toby has fitted in well and he’s been accepted by the fans.

“He treats everything Dave played with great respect, and he keeps saying ‘I can’t believe I’m playing with the best band in the world’.”

The band released the album Dark Matters in September 2021 with eight of the 11 tracks featuring Greenfield and was the first album not to feature the legendary Jet Black, who retired from the band in 2015.

The album was a great success, getting to number four in the charts.

“These days, the charts don’t mean so much to us, however, it gives us some bragging rights and is a finger up to those who said that we couldn’t do anything fresh. It proves that there’s no age limit to musical ability.

“We are all delighted with the album. It’s about the world we’re living in.

“My favourite one to play is White Stallion, but there’s also This Song, Water, and The Lines which has brought tears to the eyes to members of the audience due to its’ subject — why are we so afraid of getting old?”

As usual, JJ is keeping quiet about the set list. “It’s a different set list every night — we do that because we can [he grins]. I’ve no idea how many songs from the new album we’ll be playing. In France we did five.”

However, he hints that the set will be dominated by Stranglers' classics, as he says: “I don’t think audiences go to see bands to see them plugging their latest album.”

As mentioned at the top of the article, this is to be The Stranglers’ last full tour, but they hope to carry on, as JJ explains: “Yes, it’s our last full tour, but we hope to keep on playing one-offs. In fact, some are already planned into 2023. You see, in the last few years, we’ve played so much (Covid notwithstanding) and it’s not really creative. I can’t write if I’m stuck in a hotel.”

But he is looking forward to touring the UK again? “Oh yeah, I’m particularly looking forward to the tour, to be honest,” he says laughing. “I think anyone who’s been cooped up for 21 months will be.”

 As always, audiences can expect to be swept up high on the wave of The Stranglers’ powerful sound, pounding rhythms, soaring melodies, quirky humour and thrillingly daring musicianship for an exhilarating live experience.

And we may even get new Stranglers’ music in the future, but it might not be for a while, as JJ admits. “No, there won’t be a new album just yet. I’ve got about 300 songs to complete.”

The Stranglers, with special guests Ruts DC, will be appearing at the City Hall, Sheffield on February 24.

Tickets are available from the box office (www.sheffieldcityhall.co.uk/box-office or www.ticketmaster.com) and all the usual agencies.